"This post focuses on one of the three core principles in UDL: multiple means of representation.

This means moving beyond textual representation by presenting information and conceptual knowledge to students in a variety of formats, e.g., images, video, and audio. Not only does research indicate that this practice can enhance student understanding and retention of course content, it can also be used to engage students and prime discussion. Students responding to an image, song or movie clip can spark reflection and debate."

Kathleen McClaskey's insight:

This blog offers the steps you need to take to include multimedia as a part of your instruction.

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is used to design curriculum, lessons and instruction based on the diversity of the learners in their classroom.

How can UDL guide personalize learning to meet the Common Core?

When a teacher understands his/her learners through the UDL lens, he/she creates a flexible learning environment and provides opportunities for learner voice and choice. When lessons are designed using the UDL model, the lesson includes goals, methods, materials, tools, and assessments to reach and support the maximum amount of learners in the classroom.

Learners can use this model to help them understand how they learn best and what learning path they can take to become an independent expert learner, leveraging their natural abilities in the process. This process helps the learner create their personal learning profile that is understood by both teacher and learner.

The importance of this strategy is that both the teacher and the learner understand who the learner is and how they learn best. The learner and the teacher uses the UDL lens to personalize learning. So what does that look like?

An example of an 8th Grade unit on the Civil War serves as an example along with two students who can meet a number of CCSS when they choose and use the tools to support their learning.

Explore our new website, Personalize Learning (www.personalizelearning.com), to learn more about the research, models and educators who are personalizing learning.

Learning goals are the foundation of any effective curriculum. Only by clarifying what we want learners to accomplish can we begin to consider what assessments, methods, and materials will be most effective. Included are 10 tips developed by CAST Professional Learning that discuss learning goals from a UDL perspective.

Join CAST as they discuss discuss practical resources and tools that can be integrated immediately into practice and align with the UDL principles. They invite educators from all levels to benefit from some of the exciting resources freely available. Register today!

UDL-IRN has created a great resource for designing the implementation of UDL in your school or district. Jamie Basham and Loui Lord Nelson, authors of this paper, provide important insight on the process to implement UDL. The topics included are:

Why do teachers and learners need a lens for learning? This post will share the importance of understanding how you learn best. Access is about how you transform and process information into useable knowledge. Engage is how you best engage with content. Express is how you demonstrate what you know and understand. If you use this lens, you and your teacher become partners in learning.

Why do teachers and learners need a lens for learning? This post will share the importance of understanding how you learn best. Access is about how you transform and process information into useable knowledge. Engage is how you best engage with content. Express is how you demonstrate what you know and understand. If you use this lens, you and your teacher become partners in learning.

Why do teachers and learners need a lens for learning? This post will share the importance of understanding how you learn best. Access is about how you transform and process information into useable knowledge. Engage is how you best engage with content. Express is how you demonstrate what you know and understand. If you use this lens, you and your teacher become partners in learning.

Universal Design for Learning can make your lessons more accessible and your lesson-planning more fun.

Kathleen McClaskey's insight:

This article includes excellent advice on how to engage learners using the UDL framework. UDL principles and guidelines are not step-by-step instructions. Instead, they serve as more of a framework or philosophy that can guide educators in developing and executing the goal of making learning more accessible for all learners. Luis Perez, author of Mobile Learning for All provides ways to get started with UDL.

The National Center on the Use of Emerging Technologies to Improve Literacy Achievement for Students with Disabilities in Middle School is researching and developing a technology-rich learning environment called “Udio” that will make it possible for schools to provide all learners with Universally Designed for Learning (UDL) literacy experiences as they read independently across the curriculum. Consider joining the research in this important product.

To achieve their mission and vision, the Center is leveraging the capabilities of the Web itself to create a more distributed ecosystem for adolescent literacy, termed “Udio,” where the goals are to:

1. foster a passionate interest and investment in reading for learners who have traditionally been uninterested in, or disenfranchised by, traditional classroom literacy practices;2. substantially improve the reading comprehension skills of middle school learners who have experienced recurrent failure in the domain of reading.

Loui Lord Nelson’s book, Design and Deliver: Planning and Teaching Using Universal Design for Learning, breaks down the principals, guidelines, and checkpoints into easily understood language using classroom strategies and design techniques proven to be successful in a wide variety of classrooms. Join us for this webinar conversation, where Loui will discuss highlights from the book including goal and assessment design, classroom design, and the use of UDL as a design tool.

In this introductory course, participants learn the research basis for UDL, practical applications of UDL to lesson design, and helpful technology tools that support flexible, inclusive instruction. Each course section brings together up to 20 educators in an online community of practice. The course consists of 14 sessions – 11 online sessions and 3 synchronous Web conference sessions.

Launched in June 1014, UDL on Campus serves as a resource to higher ed as they embark on applying UDL in practice.

The resources on this site focus on how UDL can be used to address learner variability in postsecondary education settings in order to help ensure that all students receive a high-quality learning experience and are able to succeed. For background information about the UDL framework, visit the National Center on Universal Design for Learning

Learn more about Universal Design for Learning (UDL) at the UDL-IRN Hangouts.

Kathleen McClaskey's insight:

Members of the UDL-IRN Research Committee will lead a discussion regarding the current state of research regarding UDL. They will direct attendees to resources that summarize the research base on UDL. Expect a lively discussion in whether we should refer to UDL as a promising practice (which does not affirm UDL as an evidence-based practice) an evidence based practice, or an evidence-based framework.

Use QR codes, AR apps and posters, and iBeacons to get students moving and engaged while bolstering their executive functioning and comprehension skills.

Kathleen McClaskey's insight:

How do you create a learning environment that is filled with purposeful, motivated, strategic, goal-directed learners?

One way to create this type of learning environment is with the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework, which aims to develop expert learners. In addition to removing barriers and making learning accessible to the widest varied of learners possible, UDL addresses many of the metacognitive and self-efficacy skills associated with becoming an expert learner, including:

How do you create a learning environment that is filled with purposeful, motivated, strategic, goal-directed learners?

One way to create this type of learning environment is with the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework, which aims to develop expert learners. In addition to removing barriers and making learning accessible to the widest varied of learners possible, UDL addresses many of the metacognitive and self-efficacy skills associated with becoming an expert learner, including:

How do you create a learning environment that is filled with purposeful, motivated, strategic, goal-directed learners?

One way to create this type of learning environment is with the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework, which aims to develop expert learners. In addition to removing barriers and making learning accessible to the widest varied of learners possible, UDL addresses many of the metacognitive and self-efficacy skills associated with becoming an expert learner, including:

How do you create a learning environment that is filled with purposeful, motivated, strategic, goal-directed learners?

One way to create this type of learning environment is with the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework, which aims to develop expert learners. In addition to removing barriers and making learning accessible to the widest varied of learners possible, UDL addresses many of the metacognitive and self-efficacy skills associated with becoming an expert learner, including:

Interactive and informative discussions around Universal Design for Learning and Personalized Learning during 7/6/15 #plearnchat.

Kathleen McClaskey's insight:

Over 35 educators across the country came together in a vibrant and vital discussion around the big question in #plearnchat: "Why is Universal Design for Learning the framework for Personalized Learning?" Take a look at the Storify and be amazed what educators are thinking about this big question.

Over 35 educators across the country came together in a vibrant and vital discussion around the big question in #plearnchat: "Why is Universal Design for Learning the framework for Personalized Learning?" Read the Storify and be amazed what educators are saying about UDL and PL.

The Crosswalk between the UDL and Danielson FfT frameworks grew out of a need expressed by UDL experts in the field. As teachers strengthen their practices by infusing the principles of UDL in their work, their performance within the Danielson FfT improves.

Kathleen McClaskey's insight:

This UDL-Danielson Crosswalk will be an important guide for any school where teachers apply UDL principles in practice.

"Developed through a collaborative project that included the following partners: Baltimore County Public Schools (MD), CAST, Danielson Group, Howard County Public Schools (MD), Lakeview Public Schools (St. Clair Shores, MI), and Towson University (MD), the UDL-Danielson Crosswalk offers an instrument that explicitly provides teachers with the critical connections they need to enhance their planning, instruction, and professional practice."

Starting Feb 4th, a free online course offered by the ISTE Inclusive Learning Network will run a four-week SOOC (Small Supported Open Online Course). This course will enhance your skills in two exciting trends in education: mobile learning and Universal Design for Learning (UDL). Through participation in this course you will not only learn about UDL and how to support its implementation with iOS devices and apps, you will see it modeled by the instructors as you participate in a dynamic community of practice and create your own UDL materials and resources.

The UDL Implementation Research Network (UDL-IRN) is hosting a summit focusing on UDL implementation and associated research on March 12 & 13, 2015 at The University of Southern Mississippi. This beautiful campus is located on the Gulf of Mexico beach in Gulfport, MS. The intent of this summit is to gather practitioners and researchers to build networks for supporting the systematic implementation of UDL in pre-school, K-12, and higher education classrooms from across the globe.

Samantha G. Daley research scientist at CAST presented on "Supporting All Learners Through UDL: Variability in Emotion and Learning" at Towson University.

Kathleen McClaskey's insight:

Samantha G. Daley is a research scientist at CAST, where she investigates the relationship between emotions and cognitive performance of students, particularly those with learning disabilities. She focuses on the role of emotions in learning activities and how to design instruction to reflect the relationship between emotion and cognition in learning.

Join expert classroom educators Jon Mundorf (Naples, Florida) and Alexis Reid (Boston, Massachusetts) as they discuss the ways in which UDL helps them teach more effectively and reach more students. They’ll discuss some of the challenges of applying UDL principles and share proven strategies for success. David Gordon, co-author of the 2014 book Universal Design for Learning: Theory and Practice, which featured both Jon and Alexis, will join them to talk about how the growing community of UDL practitioners is informing and shaping the theory.

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a teaching approach to help all learners be successful. Learn how it benefits kids with learning and attention issues.

Kathleen McClaskey's insight:

The goal of UDL is to use a variety of teaching methods to remove any barriers to learning and give all students equal opportunities to succeed. UDL doesn’t specifically target kids with learning and attention issues. It’s about building in flexibility that can be adjusted for every student’s strengths and needs.

Here is one of the first graduate degree programs being offered in UDL at the University of San Diego.

Course of Study:

Earn this Masters of Education in California by completing 10 courses (3-units each) for 30 units of coursework. The program consists of five foundation courses including a capstone action research project as well as five specialization courses. You may start in any semester with any of the courses offered. The Capstone Seminar is the final course in the program and builds on knowledge gained in the research and specialization courses.

Universal Design Learning is a framework for learning that includes all learners.. Being grounded in socio-cultural theory, UDL views learning environments and social interactions as being key elements in development and learning. In UDL learners are allowed to express their learning in a variety of ways.

Do you have a burning question about UDL that you’d like clarified? In this webinar, discover some of the most frequent myths and misconceptions around UDL and hear about the current CAST research and thinking being done to address these myths. Included in the conversation will be CAST co-founder, David Rose.

UDL: Universal Design in Learning is a concept that promotes teaching to all students in your class. Some excellent strategies and techniques. If you are not familiar or need some more exposure, this should be a great webinar. You might want to share it with your friends.

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